A class forum

A class forum

Learn how to write a post on a class forum.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.

Preparation

Reading text

Add your comment below:

So cool to read about everyone's home tradition they miss the most! I'm from England but I've been living in the States for five years and the thing I miss the most is Bonfire Night on November 5th.

The best thing about Bonfire Night is the fireworks, oh, and the bonfires! … and the history behind it. Basically, Guy Fawkes and his friends tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I. They nearly did it too – they hired a room under the House of Parliament and filled it with explosives. But someone told the royal palace. The authorities found Guy Fawkes in the room guarding the explosives, and he was sentenced to torture and death.

So it's a tradition that celebrates the fact that the king survived. It also means people don't forget what happens if you plot against your country. There's a kind of poem about it that starts 'Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot.' That's why we build a 'guy' – a life-size model of Guy Fawkes – and burn it on the bonfire. Pretty dark and horrible when you think about it!

Tips

  1. It's nice to start by saying something that shows you have read other people's posts.
  2. In a class forum you can be quite informal.
  3. In informal writing you can sometimes miss out the beginning of a phrase:
    So cool to read about everyone's home tradition ...
  4. Remember, in a forum you are part of a long conversation with a lot of other people so they might ask you questions.

Discussion

Download
Worksheet88.72 KB

Language level

Average: 4.3 (64 votes)

Submitted by VNatasha on Tue, 25/06/2024 - 19:47

Permalink

Hi everybody! I'm from Ukraine. I'm very happy to see messages about the traditions of my country. It's a very interesting topic, because when you read about the traditions of celebrations in different countries, you understand what makes each country special.

Hello Natasha, I'm from Serbia. Yes, you are apsollutly right. Each county had some history, which makes her differently and specific by other countries. What's about Ukraine, can you tell us something of history of your country?

Hello, thank you for your question, and your interest in my country. 
I want to write about Christmas.
During the Christmas holiday in Ukraine, carols are sung, children perform Christmas songs going from house to house and wish the owner of this houses peace and prosperity. Herewith  carolers sow wheat or barley, which are believed to bring prosperity and happiness to the house. For this,  the owners give the children candy and coins, which bring good luck throughout the year. Twelve dishes are placed on the table. The traditional dishes are kutyu, uzvar, freshly baked bread and dumplings. The one who finds the coin inside the dumpling will be lucky this year.

Submitted by Lizzie_97 on Mon, 24/06/2024 - 08:56

Permalink

Hi everyone, I'm from Vietnam which Country is located in South East of Asia Continent. I'm here to learn English but be pleasant for telling anyone here about the tradition of my Country that I like the best. 
On 2nd September 1945, Ho Chi Minh President (in my Country everyone usually calls Uncle Ho - an intimate name which my Country citizens call for gratitude and respectability with my Country President) spoke Declaration of Independence in Ba Dinh Square, that officially means my Country have had freedom after over 80 years be dominated by the French colonialists. 
So that day becomes National Day of my Country. Everyone will be allowed to take 2 days off from study or work on annual 1st and 2nd of September to celebrate it.

Submitted by umitalbayrak on Sun, 23/06/2024 - 16:59

Permalink

Hello, everyone! I'm from Turkey, specifically in Istanbul. I'd like to talk about all of our tradition fests, but there are many of them. My favorite is Republic Fest, held on October 29th. With the proclamation of the republic, we believe that we have taken our freedom from the Padishah and laid the groundwork for being a modern country.

Submitted by mejri nour on Sat, 22/06/2024 - 18:04

Permalink

Every country has its own traditions with rich stories behind them. In Tunisia, on March 16th each year, we celebrate National Traditional Dress Day. On this day, Tunisians wear their fabulous traditional outfits. Men typically wear the "Djeba" and "Chachia," while women don the Tunisian "Kaftan," "Fouta and Blouza," and the "Sefsari." Additionally, we prepare traditional foods such as "Couscous" and Tunisian sweets like "Kaak Warka," "Samsa," and "Baklava."

This celebration not only showcases the beauty of Tunisia's traditions but also highlights our rich cultural heritage and national identity. It helps us feel more connected to our country, enables us to introduce its history to others, and deepens our appreciation of our cultural roots.

Submitted by Suhair on Fri, 31/05/2024 - 08:24

Permalink

In Iraq, we used to celebrate Zakarya Day the first Sunday of the Arabic month (Shaaban). We remember the prophet Zakarya when he asked God to bless him with a son. Although his wife and he were elderly, God gave them the prophet Yahya. There are many traditions connected to this day, and among them is that we make and eat Zarda. Zarda is a kind of rice pudding decorated with almonds, pistachio, and cinnamon, Very delicious! Also, we used to prepare a table full of different types of sweets, candles, and green plants.

Submitted by Mair_ on Mon, 20/05/2024 - 22:59

Permalink

Hi everybody! Here in my country, we have a celebration called "São João" that occurs on June 24, but some big cities celebrate during the whole month of June, and some celebrate during a week. We dance "Quadrilha" a traditional type of dance, and light up bonfires where kids/teenagers generally play with firecrackers and fireworks. Also, we cook and eat lots of food made with corn, like "pamonha", "canjica", etc. This celebration is personally my favourite one!

Submitted by Safe_Mode on Sat, 18/05/2024 - 10:25

Permalink

So cute to read about home traditions of other authors, especially, from Ukraine and Spain, I've found their traditional holidays the most interesting. I'm not a huge fan of traditions and holidays connected to them, but in my native country we've got Ivan Kupala's day that I've never celebrated, by the way, but found really interesting just reading about and imaging.

Ancient Russians had deity Kupalo representing summer fertility. In his honor in the evenings they sang songs and jumped over the fire. This ritual action turned into an annual celebration of the summer solstice, mixing pagan and Christian traditions.

Nowadays, this holiday has celebrated on 7th of July. People gird themselvels with flower bands and wear herbal wreaths on their heads. On Kupalo's night, cleansing fires are lit. People dance around them, jump over them, whoever is more successful and taller will be happier. The youth, jumping over the fires, organize noisy fun games, fights, and races.
You can't sleep on Kupalo's night because the ancient people believed that in the night all evil spirits came to life and became active: witches, werewolves, ghouls, mermaids...

Submitted by Osama_123 on Thu, 02/05/2024 - 23:00

Permalink

Hey , I am from Egypt, I would like to tell you about one of our festivals. In Egypt, we celebrate Eid- Alfetr. On this occasion, we wake up early to pray and then go congratulate each other in the streets, and finally completing the celebration at home with our families. In the morning, we eat salted fish or some Eastern self-baked sweets called ka'ak with tea. Then have a nap, after that , we go visit our relatives and spend time with them, later on, we can go hang out with our family or friends. I love Eid al- Fetr.